Liverpool's September player of the month as chosen by the fans
- Liverpool rose to the Premier League summit in September
- Arne Slot's side boast a perfect record in European and domestic cup competitions
- One player received almost 60% of the vote in 90min's WhatsApp poll
September brought Arne Slot's first defeat as Liverpool manager, but largely represented another successful month under the incoming Dutch head coach.
The Reds began with a 3-0 stroll against Manchester United before that maiden reverse at the hands of Nottingham Forest. Slot tapped into the hyper-reactive world of modern football by decrying the 1-0 loss as "a big setback". A swift return to winning ways quickly quelled the gnashing of teeth as Liverpool bounced into October's international break top of the Premier League table.
Slot is the only major personnel change for Liverpool this term, but new stars from the existing squad have emerged alongside familiar favourites. Drawing upon the expert opinion of the 24,000 Liverpool fans who took part in 90min's WhatsApp poll (link to follow below), here are the team's standout individuals from September.
Honourable mentions
Few players have enjoyed an improvement under Slot as obvious as Luis Diaz. The rejuvenated Colombian scored five goals across his final 27 Premier League appearances last season. He racked up four this September alone.
Diaz hailed Slot as "spectacular", citing the Dutchman's attention to detail on the training pitch as the basis of his sharp improvement. "The coach always tries to correct the movements you need to make in order to be well-positioned, to arrive in front of the goal better and score more goals," he explained. The fleet-footed winger is averaging the same number of shots but is taking aim from 12.8 yards out this term compared to 15 yards last season.
Mohamed Salah has simply maintained his elite output. The perennially prolific wide forward, who also received more than 4,000 votes, had a hand in all three of Liverpool's goals against United at the start of September, teeing up both of Diaz's first-half goals before adding to his swollen tally in this fixture. No player in the history of meetings between Liverpool and Manchester United has ever scored as many as Salah's 15 goals.
Ibrahima Konate's purple patch at the sharp end of the pitch was far more unexpected. The fashion-focused centre-back had gone 72 consecutive appearances for Liverpool without scoring before opening his account with a towering header against AC Milan. Just 11 days later, Konate nodded the Reds ahead against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Frenchman fell asleep for Rayan Ait-Nouri's equaliser in that 2-1 victory, which may explain why he received less than 1,000 votes.
Player | September appearances | Votes |
|---|---|---|
Luis Diaz | 5 | 4,614 (18.8%) |
Mohamed Salah | 6 | 4,156 (17.0%) |
Ibrahima Konate | 5 | 880 (3.6%) |
Other | N/A | 644 (2.6%) |
Liverpool's player of the month for September
Erik ten Hag once described Ryan Gravenberch as "the type who needs a challenge". The energetic Netherlands international has been tasked with completely reinventing himself as a defensive midfielder this term, following Liverpool's failed attempt to lure Martin Zubimendi away from Real Sociedad in the summer.
Gravenberch amassed almost 60% of the vote for Liverpool's standout player in September. The Dutchman's dynamism has underpinned his popularity, easily catching the eye as a controlling and combative figure at the base of midfield. Gravenberch highlighted Slot's faith when explaining his progress. "The coach gives me confidence and sets me up," he said. "I just do my own thing." That has worked out pretty well so far.
Ryan Gravenberch's Liverpool stats in September
Stat | Value |
|---|---|
Games | 5 |
Passes into the final third | 29 |
Take-ons attempted | 8 |
Tackles | 10 |
Interceptions | 14 |
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